


People Like Us

by Lalaith_Quetzalli



Category: White Collar (TV 2009)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cape Verde, Established Relationship, F/M, Mentions of sex (nothing explicit), Multi, OT3, Post-Season/Series 03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:14:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28392972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lalaith_Quetzalli/pseuds/Lalaith_Quetzalli
Summary: An FBI Agent, an event-planner and a conman… three people so completely different, there are few ways their relationships could have gone. Going in none of them expected it’d become about love, and yet they won’t regret it. Not when things are hard, not when circumstances threaten to tear them apart forever, not when the hard decisions have to be made; because sometimes love truly is enough to stake everything on…
Relationships: Elizabeth Burke & Mozzie (White Collar), Elizabeth Burke/Peter Burke, Elizabeth Burke/Peter Burke/Neal Caffrey, Neal Caffrey & Mozzie
Comments: 9
Kudos: 26





	1. Part I

**Author's Note:**

> So... I recently fell into the White Collar fandom (a little late, I know, story of my life!). By the end of the first season I was a huge PEN fan. Then I was watching he season 3 finale and... the feels were huge! I remember even my mom made a comment about how Neal didn't choose to leave, they sent him away, and the first thing I thought was: "Wish Peter and El had gone with him, that'd have been awesome..." And that was pretty much how this fic was born. 
> 
> I was very inspired by the song "People Like Us" which is originally sung by Kelly Clarkson, though there's a cover from Matt Bomer... in fact, I listened to that cover first, loved it, kept listening to the song over and over again as I wrote this. So, I really recommend it! Enjoy the fic!
> 
> P.S. There will be a Part II

****

**Part I.**

_We come into this world unknown_

_But know that we are not alone_

_They try and knock us down_

_But change is coming, it's our turn now_

~ "People Like Us" Cover by Matt Bomer ~

" _I'm saying Neal should be free."_

Those were his words, the exact words he told the board on that last day of Neal's commutation hearing, and he meant them, wholeheartedly. He still means them. It's how he managed to say them with a straight face, with a completely neutral expression, even knowing that Neal was already gone, that any moment his phone was going to ring and someone (Diana, as it turned out) was going to call and tell him Neal had cut his anklet and fled. Peter doesn't regret it, not the words said, and not his part in Neal fleeing, precisely because he believes in those words. Neal deserves to be free, and as long as Kramer was around he would have never allowed it… He'd have never allowed Neal to be free, to make his own choices, to be… anything other than a criminal. Because as much as Kramer might have chastised his old protege for seeing Neal as man rather than conman, Peter isn't sure if his old mentor sees anyone as who they are rather than what they are anymore…

It's a sad truth, one Peter hates admitting even to himself. The person he was three years ago would have never believed that one day a criminal, a conman, Neal-freaking-Caffrey would be more important than Philip Kramer. A man Peter respected above almost all others; who, during his time in training became almost like a second father to Peter. And yet… and yet Neal was no longer just a criminal, or a conman or… he was just… he was just Neal.

He was the man who drove him crazy even on the best of days but who, when everything went to hell, always had his back. Who managed to keep his cool even in the most stressful of situations and was willing to put his life on the line to protect those he cared about, whether they deserved it or not. And what can Peter do but try his best to return that loyalty? He hasn't always managed. And it's not like Neal's a saint either. While they both might prefer not to ever talk about the Nazi treasure, it was a dark moment in their partnership, something that came close, (so very very close) to destroying them both. And Elizabeth. His beloved Elizabeth, Peter honestly doesn't know who he'd be without her, has a feeling he wouldn't like it. He also doesn't know where they'd be without her. Is quite certain that the two of them would have never made it to where they are… were… to being not just Peter Burke, Elizabeth Burke and Neal Caffrey but Peter, El and Neal, the three of them, together…

" _I have a life here…"_

Yeah, Neal said those words, more than once even, and Peter knows he meant them. He only wishes they were still true. That Neal still had a life there, in New York, with them. But that's not possible. And it's all because of a man Peter would have once sworn was as good as family…

It takes almost three months for Peter to be able to prove what Kramer did. The way he manipulated the system, the evidence, to get what he wanted. To him Neal wasn't a young man, he wasn't even a criminal, he was just an asset, a tool… And even when it's all said and done Peter cannot understand how it happened, how Kramer fell so low, when he came to see Peter as competition and not a coworker, when he began seeing people as things…

Peter wanted so much to be wrong. When Kramer arrived, on the eve of Neal's hearing, he wanted to believe it was just because he was curious. That after having met Neal, after seeing them work together, he was curious whether Neal would stay or take off. He couldn't have known that there was no way Neal would run, no way he'd leave him and El… Peter wanted him to know. He wasn't even sure why exactly. Even if his mom were still alive, he cannot imagine telling her about what he and El have with Neal, his mom… she was an awesome woman, the absolutely best, but she was also extremely traditionalist, and religious, she'd never understand the three of them being together. El's parents certainly don't know, his wife refuses to give her dad something to psychoanalyze. Though he also knows that her sister does know, and even if she doesn't fully understands, she supports El completely.

Perhaps that's why Peter got into his head that he wanted Kramer to know. He wanted someone who knew him, whom he was close to, to know, to care. Diana and Jones… Peter's quite certain they know, though they've never talked about it. It'd be complicated, with Neal in the anklet and technically under Peter's power… But he's sure he didn't misinterpret Diana's comment of them going our for a 'party' perhaps a 'date' after the hearing.

Thankfully his beloved stopped him. Both of them. They used all sorts of excuses: that his job would be at risk, that people might think the wrong thing of him, of Neal, that they were risking Neal's commutation. He realized quite quickly that Neal didn't trust Kramer, he might not have admitted it, not wanting to hurt Peter; and Peter might have told himself that it was just that Neal didn't know Kramer, not like Peter did… He was wrong, so very wrong, and he didn't realize how much until that moment, on the stairs, just outside the building, when Kramer said all those things, when Peter accused him of wanting to hurt Neal, and him having the gall to say all he wanted to do was to control him! As if that were any better! (It was actually worse, much, much worse when it came to Neal, and when it came to someone like Kramer).

That was a pivotal moment for Peter, the moment when he realized that as much as he might believe in the System, in Justice, as much as he might still be an Agent… perhaps Neal was right and there were some things that were more important… (No perhaps about it! He Knew that for a fact, it was what pushed him to give the signal after all).

When he saw Neal standing there, across the street, the moment his lips began curving into a smile… a smile that was nothing like the one he might use while on the job, on his 'marks'. Kramer might say that's exactly what Peter was, but he didn't understand Neal, he never had, and never would, didn't care to. Peter knew there was a difference between the way Neal acted when he was working a con, when he was doing undercover work for the FBI, and when he was allowed to be just himself: with Mozzie, with June, with him and El…

It hurt him, looking straight at Neal and shaking his head. Very slightly, just enough for the younger man to notice the motion. He knew Neal would get it, would see Kramer and the men behind him and understand, and he'd know there was only one of two ways things would go, and they all knew which they'd prefer. Because as much as it might hurt to send Neal away, it'd hurt worse to see him end up in prison (and whether DC, or an actual jail, were he to fight Kramer on his 'deal', it'd most definitely be a prison in the end). And the worst part is that he knows that if he'd asked, if he and El had asked it of him, Neal would have gone quietly, would have bent, because he loves them so much he'd never think of saying no to them, regardless of how much it might hurt him in the long run… It's why he ran in the first place, even though just earlier that same day he'd promised he wouldn't, that he was there to stay, that he'd be at work on Monday! Those were his plans, and he gave up on them, gave everything up, because Peter told him to.

It scares Peter sometimes, knowing he has that much power over him. Neal might be a grown man, but at the same time he's so… he's fragile. So strong physically and mentally, more than Peter ever imagined possible, but he's so emotionally fragile. Neal's the kind of man who, when he loves, he does it no-holds barred, holds nothing back; even when it might be for his own good. He loved Kate so much he did everything for her, treated her like a princess; so much that when she left him the first time he did the most insane jobs in an attempt to attract her back to his side (doesn't matter how one or the other of them might frame those happenings as 'alleged heists' as 'rumors', as 'assumptions', they know the truth in the end); so much that he escaped from prison three months before the end of his four years just to chase a ghost, knowing he'd fail, knowing it meant four more years! And that's without considering all the insane things he did in the first year of his parole while first trying to find her, and later on to avenge her.

So, bottom line, Peter knew from the start, before any confessions were made, the kind of man Neal was, how strongly he loved; knew how insane it could end up being, their being together. And he did it anyway. They all went into that relationship, their triad, with eyes wide open, fully aware of the consequences, and despite everything that's happened in the past twelve weeks, Peter cannot say he regrets it. And he knows neither does El. Oh, they might regret Neal's absence, but not having loved him, still loving him.

**xXx**

Elizabeth's waiting for him at the door when he arrives. She's looking questioningly at him, and he cannot miss the way she's holding herself so still, barely keeping from bouncing, and the way her eyes stare at him, with so much anxiety, and above all, so much hope… Peter almost hates himself, knowing he's going to destroy those hopes, take away the light in those beautiful blue eyes. Almost… except he knows, he does know it's not his fault. It's the fault of the system, the very system he serves, that he tries so hard to believe in. It's failed him. Failed them all.

El doesn't need him to say a thing, something in his eyes gives him away and she half-curls into herself, letting out a low, inhuman sound from the back of her throat. Like the kind of whine a wounded animal would make, and Peter cannot help but rush to her, embrace her, hold her tight, even as he fights to keep a similar sound from escaping his own throat.

It's over, they've lost.

It took him almost three months to get everything he needed to take Kramer down. And if anyone had told him just two years ago that the day would come when he'd turn on his old mentor, on his second father, and for a con… Except Kramer wasn't actually his father and Neal… he might have been a conman, a part of him might still be one, but he was also one of the two loves of Peter's life, and that was much, much more important than anything else. Peter might not have the flair that Neal does, but he too would do anything for those he loves. Anything.

"We got it," He tells El once they're inside the house, curled into each other on the couch. "Got everything on everyone. All the so-called witnesses that Kramer either bribed or blackmailed to get them to say they saw Neal, that his stunt made them fear for their lives at any moment. The judge he 'persuaded' into signing the warrants he was going to use to take Neal into custody, the marshals he got to accompany him that day. Neither Sara nor anyone at Sterling Bosch ever gave him anything he could use, so that was something." He shakes his head. "He's lost rank, benefits and will most likely have someone demanding his resignation soon. There were even some whispers about him doing time, but it's unlikely that'll happen, not so much for him, but because him ending in jail could call into question everything the White Collar division in DC has done since he came into his post, and that would help no one."

"Okay, so that's Kramer and all his minions taken care of, but what about Neal?" El presses, she knew already that the news were bad, but she just has to know…

"There's nothing about Neal," Peter admits with a sigh. "Because the Board hadn't given a verdict, it's considered that he violated his parole. He's a fugitive."

"But Kramer…" El doesn't understand, doesn't want to.

"As far as the FBI is concerned, Neal should have stayed, let things happen according to the law."

"And spend the last three months in jail, where he might have been killed, or in DC, where god knows what might have happened to him?"

"You're not telling me anything I don't already know honey, nor anything I didn't point out to Reese." And he did point out all that, repeatedly, and with vehemence. "Hughes is a good man, but in the end he doesn't see Neal the way you and I do. To him he's a convict who broke his parole, nothing more. He might not be prioritizing his capture, but that's as far as he's willing to go. He's recommended I take a few days off, clear my head, and then go back to work and forget all about Neal Caffrey."

"Forget…" El's livid at the mere suggestion. "Peter you cannot tell me…"

"Of course not." Peter waves his hand dismissively. "Reese… he's a good man El, but he doesn't understand. He doesn't know Neal, doesn't… he doesn't love him the way we do." He exhales. "I don't know what we're supposed to do now."

El stares at him in silence for several seconds before uncurling, standing up, and heading to the fireplace. There she slips a hand inside the (thankfully unlit) chimney, and pulls out a blue semi-translucent plastic envelope.

"Honey…?" Peter doesn't know what else to say.

Still saying nothing Elizabeth opens the envelope and then upends its contents into Peter's lap. What he finds there surprises him, yet at the same time, not as much as an outsider probably might expect. There on his lap are two passports, Canadian rather than American, along with birth certificates, driver's licenses, a marriage certificate and two open tickets to London, all in the names of Ella Bethany and Alistair Peter Brooks.

"How long…?" Peter begins, not knowing how to even finish the question.

"No idea, at least since they left." El shrugs. "I got a message from an unregistered number telling me where I could find the envelope and telling me to only open it as a last resource."

"You really think this is what it's come to? A last resource? Running away?"

"Don't you?" El doesn't sound angry, or upset she just sounds… tired. "Think about it for a minute Peter. Just for a moment. Forget this exists and picture the next week, the next month, the next year. Think about how it will all be, for you, for us. Moving on with our lives, alone. Because we both know that if all you've got thus far isn't enough to get Neal back, nothing will. Can you truly picture that time, the rest of your life, of our lives, without Neal?"

"No..." He doesn't even need to think about it, there mere suggestion of it… he refuses to even contemplate it, it's impossible.

Elizabeth says nothing else, she just exhales. She isn't going to pressure her husband into it, not any of it. The day the both of them confessed their attraction to Neal to each other they made a promise, an oath as solemn and binding as the ones they recited on their wedding day. Swore that they'd always put them, the two of them, their marriage, first. Because before they were Neal's, they were each other's.

Peter might never admit it, but the choice isn't a hard one to make in the end. In the end it all comes down to love…

"How quickly can we be packed?"

**xXx**

It's amazing, how quickly two people can pack everything they care about in their lives, and how little they might choose to take with them, knowing the chances of them ever going back are slim. Peter and Elizabeth aren't like Neal, they aren't used to living out of a single suitcase at a time, but when their options are to give up on things, or to give up on the man they both love like he were a part of their own souls… it's an easy decision to make.

Since Elizabeth got a bit into digital photography a year ago, and then decided to scan all the pictures in their photo-albums (she even conscripted Neal into helping her, which Peter was thankful for, as it kept him busy and distracted for a while). All they need to take on that front are some CDs and they have their whole past with them. They pack only the clothes they actually like wearing, and Elizabeth is even willing to sacrifice many of her pairs of shoes, knowing she'll never be able to fit them all anywhere.

The only person they call is Ronnie, Elizabeth's sister. They tell her the truth, that they're leaving the country, probably for a good few years, possibly for good, that they're doing it for Neal. They don't tell her where they're going. Not that they actually know what the final destination is… though they're both sure it's not London. Ronnie shrieks in delight and cackles like a crazy-person at them, but eventually she wishes them the best of luck, promises to keep an eye on the property (since it was a foreclosure, they were able to get with a low mortgage, which they finished paying shortly before the situation with Neal even began, so the house is theirs, and they're not selling it, so it's probably a good idea for Ronnie to look in on it every so often). They're taking Satchmo with them of course, there's even paperwork for that with everything else, and Peter isn't even surprised that Mozzie was so through (because who else could have gotten his hands on all those, and given them to Elizabeth 'just in case'? It makes Peter wonder if the little conman always knew it'd come to that one day… probably).

On Friday Elizabeth and Peter go to work for the last time, making discreet arrangements, leaving not a clue. Then, in the evening they take a cab to the Airport, though making a short stop at Diana's place. Peter knows she won't be in, it's date night. He knows he's not being entirely fair to her, or to Jones, leaving without talking to them, but it's the way it has to be and he knows it. So he just gets out of the cab long enough to leave the small envelope inside her mailbox, where it probably won't be noticed until the morning but that's alright, not like its urgent or anything. Then he's back in the cab and they're on their way to the airport.

A woman is waiting for them when they make it to the airport. Apparently arrangements were being made since Elizabeth called to put a date on their tickets. Satchmo is taken by a man, to the specially prepared crate, where he'll be comfortable and safe for the duration of the flight. The woman for her part takes all their paperwork and processes it quickly and easily, not even a hint of hesitation on her part which means that either she doesn't know the papers are fake, she does know and doesn't care (or perhaps the papers are just that good…), or maybe Peter is just waiting for the other shoe to drop. He's just not used to it, living on the other side of things.

Elizabeth taking his hand is the only thing that settles him. She's still holding it when the time comes and they're lead to their first-class seats. And when the doors close and the plane leaves the tarmac.

And thus Peter and Elizabeth Burke disappear…


	2. Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had totally forgotten about this! It's the first time I post fics on Monday instead of Friday, or the weekend. Still, here we are! The second part of People Like Us. Hope you enjoy!

**Part II.**

_They can't do nothing to you_

_They can't do nothing to me_

_This is the life that we choose_

_This is the life that we lead_

_So throw your fists in the air_

_Come out, come out, if you dare_

_Tonight we're gonna change forever_

~ "People Like Us" Cover by Matt Bomer ~

The day that Neal's life changes starts like any other; then again, that was the case last time too. When Neal got out of bed that morning he was so sure he knew what awaited him not just that day, but the rest of his life. Getting up early, having breakfast with June, taking a quick shower, getting into one of his favorite suits, taking the bus to the FBI offices (or a cab if he's running late), stepping off the elevator on the 21st floor and spending the rest of the day working with the people who'd become like a second family to him.

Truly, Diana was like the older sister who would chastise him and stare at him and would never give him an inch, but could always be counted on to back him up when he needed her. Jones was the fun cousin, the man who had 'stern agent' down to pat, but for those that he cared about he was willing to go the extra mile and bend the rules until just a hair before they broke. And he didn't even try to hide it. The rest of the people in the White Collar Division were, if not family, at least friendly to him, and even some from the other floors: like Caroline in archives, to whom he'd always been kind and she returned the favor, helping him find files whenever he might need them. Or Mr. Jenkins, in the commissary, who always saved him the best two danishes, for him and Peter. The secretary pool, all who loved it when he flirted with them; they knew it wasn't serious, but liked it when he made them feel pretty, appreciated, desired. They knew everything that was going on in the office at any given time and would let him know.

And of course Peter… some thought he saw Peter as a father, but no, if anyone deserved that it was maybe Hughes. The man was stern, a hardass, yet he trusted Peter, enough to give Neal a chance, even before knowing him as anything other than a conman, a forger and alleged art-thief. Neal would never forget that Reese gave him a chance when no one cared, backed Peter and even Neal when necessary. Even when things were absolutely insane, when most would think the worst of him, would have probably just chucked him back into jail and forgotten about him entirely… Reese trusted Peter and at the very least gave Neal the benefit of the doubt.

And Peter… what can he say about Peter? Neal loves him, has loved him for a long time, even before he realized it. Back when he believed himself to be completely in love with Kate, when he'd been doing all kinds of things for her, to call her attention, Peter was always there, on the edge of his memory, of his perception… the only man smart enough to keep up with him. Who saw him as more than a criminal to catch and throw into jail, who was willing to toe the line for him, who was willing to trust Neal even when Neal at times wasn't sure he trusted himself! Neal doesn't know what would have become of him without Peter Burke… though one thing's for sure: he wouldn't be alive. Whether it have been the plane explosion, a bullet (from some trigger-happy LEO, a disgruntled mark, another criminal) or something else, there's no doubt he'd be long since dead. Peter saved his life, but more than that, he gave it meaning. And it wasn't even about the love, or not Just about that. Much as he might love him, and El, love alone probably wouldn't have been enough. It wasn't before, with Kate, and as terribly as it might have ended, as disenchanted by it all as he might have been in the end, he had loved Kate, truly and completely.

Neal has always known that he isn't a conman for the money, if he were he'd have never been caught, because someone that fixated on the money was always prepared, always had a cache of it somewhere; and more importantly, someone who was in it for the money didn't care. Not about the places, where they might be, if they might have to leave, not about the art, that they stole, replicated, sold, that might be lost in the midst of it all; and most importantly, they didn't care about people: those they might hurt in their schemes, those who might have cared about them…

" _You can either be a con or a man, you can't be both."_

Peter said that to him once, and Neal? He chose to be a man. It might have taken him longer than most, especially Peter, would have preferred, and Neal might have backslid more than once (like with the treasure… which he'd really rather Not think about unless he truly needed to). But in the end, he made the choice, and he didn't regret it. Because he cares, about the places, about the art, but most of all, he cares about the people. When they're rich bastards, or corporations, or people who don't deserve to have what they do, he has no compunction about 'liberating' whatever he might be after; but he'd never do it to hurt someone, not really.

For him it was always about the thrill. The thrill of getting into places unknown, of doing things others claimed couldn't be done, of playing a part… The money came and went, and it wasn't what mattered. The art was lovely, and yes, he took great delight in being able to just touch some things… but he never kept them, because what good was the art if it wasn't being admired?

Joining the FBI, working with Peter and his team, gave him a chance to get that same thrill, while at the same time helping people. He got to play a part (many parts), got to get into places and execute daring moves and heists others would say couldn't be done, and at the end of the day it was all legal (or, if not completely legal, he managed to justify it in the end). He had a purpose…

" _I'm happy here. […] someone once told me, my life is a dream with an anklet attached. If I wake up tomorrow and that anklet is still on, I have a good job, a wonderful home, a partner and a best friend. A family. But to wake up and answer only to myself… that would mean everything."_

He said that, during his parole hearing, and it was true enough. He knows that if at the end of the day the Board had said no… he'd have been sad certainly, especially knowing he, Peter and El would have to continue hiding their relationship, but they could have handled it. They loved each other enough. No, it was the possibility of being taken away, anywhere other than NY, anywhere but where the two of them were… even prison wouldn't have been as bad as that, as being torn away from them. That was what he couldn't stand, why he ran.

A part of him cannot help but regret it. Wonder if he should have stayed, should have fought. Was it cowardly of him? Leaving when he did, as he did, without even a goodbye? Probably. It almost feels like a betrayal, like he betrayed them, their love, but… but it was Peter who told him to go. Who looked straight into his eyes across that busy street and sent Neal away… If Neal hadn't gotten to know Kramer so well, enough to realize what it meant, him standing there, with the marshals at his back (the marshals, not the police, because it'd never been about prison, or about justice, it was always about taking Neal, using him…), Neal would have never run. He'd have never left Peter and El.

And now, three months later, he's alone, standing in paradise, and wishing he were elsewhere…

Cape Verde is a beautiful place. Truly. If Neal had ever thought to imagine what paradise might be like, it'd have probably looked something like it, and the little island that now belonged to him (well, to him and Mozzie, technically). But as great as the weather might be, the sun, the sand and the sea… it's just not enough, not for him, not without them, not…

"Neal!"

When he first hears them calling he thinks he's dreaming, or hallucinating, or perhaps even just remembering, his mind half-lost on the memory of the last time he got to talk with his lovers. On the phone, two weeks after leaving New York. He'd taken a boat to Morocco, bought a cheap phone and put in the SIM Card Mozzie had prepared for him. Then he waited for the call. It didn't take long (and later on Neal would do the math and wonder why El decided to call him at six thirty in the morning…)

In the end the time didn't matter. It still broke Neal's heart, to hear Elizabeth hiccup, trying to hold back her sobs, and Peter's hoarse voice. The worst was that they knew the calls couldn't happen often, as they ran the risk of someone realizing that the Burkes could find him. They didn't know where he was, it was something Peter insisted on, even though Neal trusts them, knows they'd never give him up, and El agreed that it was safer for them all.

He knows they miss him, just as much as he misses them, and he hates so much to be parted from them. His little island cannot be paradise when two thirds of his heart are missing.

"Neal!"

Neal's head snaps up sharply, just a fraction of a second before a body slams against him with enough force that they both end sprawled on the sand. He barely has a moment to see blue eyes glimmering with unshed tears before a mouth slants over his and his breath is stolen in a kiss that is all passion and near desperation.

The kiss only ends when the both of them are in dire need of oxygen, and as Neal manages to sit up he can see they aren't alone. Peter's there, Satchmo beside him, wagging his tail like crazy. Neal doesn't even think about, he rises to his feet swiftly, holding Elizabeth by the hips to help her stand and make sure she won't fall. Peter seems to be of the same mind as the older man reaches for him and a moment later they're kissing, slowly but no less intense than the kiss he just shared with Elizabeth.

Eventually they are forced to break that kiss too. Then they just stand there, the three of them, their hands on the other two, as if afraid that one or both of the others might disappear if they let go even just for an instant.

"Peter… El…" Neal breathes out, not knowing what else to say.

In normal circumstances Peter would tease him 'Neal Caffrey with nothing to say?' (and his wife would probably smack him for it, while Neal would have just rolled his eyes, probably right before going into a long speech about… something, anything) yet those are certainly anything but normal circumstances, and they all know it.

So Peter doesn't mock his lover for his speechlessness, truth is he has no idea what to say either, neither of them do, but that's okay, they're happy enough just basking in each other's presence.

Though it doesn't end in basking. It'd be impossible to tell who's responsible exactly, but from one moment to the next the trio go from being unable to take their hands off each other to pulling at one another's clothes, and then they are falling on those same clothes as they come together in the most intense and nearly explosive climax they've had since the very first night!

In the afterglow of their union they finally begin to relax, slowly but surely:

"I cannot believe we just had sex on a beach…" Peter groans. "Anyone could have seen us!"

"Not really," Neal comments, he's on his side, head held up with a hand, while with the other he traces patterns on El's naked skin. "This place is mine… well, I suppose it's mine and Mozzie's but you get my meaning."

"And with place you mean…" Peter trails off, not quite believing Neal means what he thinks he does. It's insane.

"I mean the island." Neal confirms.

"You own an island!" Peter half-shouts in shock.

Neal rolls his eyes, there goes Peter, blowing a gasket. Has he really missed that? He doesn't even need to think about it. Yes, he's missed that, missed everything about Peter, and El as well. Though she doesn't seem to mind the whole 'private island' much; in fact, if the mischievous glint in her eyes means anything, she likes it and is probably already making plans to take advantage of their little 'bolthole' soon. Neal will have to find a way to convince Mozzie to take off for a few days, maybe a week…

A part of him wonders where Mozzie is in that moment in fact, because there's no way anyone got onto their island without him knowing about it, he has to have approved Peter's and El's arrival… which probably answers that question. While his oldest friend has always had a hard time understanding Neal's attraction to 'the Suit' (not to El, Mozzie's half as gone on her as Neal and Peter both are… even if Mozz's love's entirely platonic). Still, he obviously has to have approved Peter's and El's (and Satchmo's) disembarking on the island, and since he obviously knows all three of them Neal wouldn't be surprised to learn that he's chosen to take off for a few days to give the triad some very precious and direly needed alone time. (Hours later Neal will, in fact, find a note from Mozzie pinned to the man's bedroom door, warning him to stay out of it and that he'll be away for a week and the three lovers better enjoy their little honeymoon).

"Yes Peter, Mozzie and I own this island." Neal states calmly. "It's not as big a deal as you're making it sound, it's rather small, nothing on it except for the house where we're living in which while rather big, is also quite old. The place apparently was a bolthole for some rich and very extravagant man some decades ago, we got it cheap, all things considered. Mostly because we're so out of the way of… everything, that no one was interested in the place long term."

Really, when he said they were 'out of the way' he meant it, also on the whole 'the house being the only thing there'. If it weren't for the solar panels and the whole system on the roof they wouldn't even have electricity, or hot water, at all! Thanks to some work Mozzie's done they have a working internet connection, but no cable or a TV for that matter. Such things haven't been a priority either, though that might change, it all depends on a few things.

"Why are you here?" He blurts out before he can think better about it.

The question makes El react, as she twists around to face him, and the wide-eyed expression on her face is what makes him realize how that sounded, how bad it sounded.

"I didn't mean it like that!" He hurries to say. "Of course I'm delighted you're here. You… I… I love you, you have no idea how much…"

"As much as we love you sweetie." El cuts him off, placing a quick kiss to his clavicle.

"The question came out wrong, it's just… I don't understand…" Neal hates admitting when he doesn't understand something, but at least he knows his lovers will never hold it against him.

"You." Peter says simply, shrugging his shoulder, an almost helpless expression on his face.

"I… Peter…" Neal's eyes are very wide, and so very, very blue…

"Oh baby, we love you, you know that, right?" El asks him gently.

"Of course!" He's never had cause for doubting that, not even at the worst times.

"Then why wouldn't we be here?" She asks then.

"Because you have a life! Back in New York!" Neal insists. "You have… you have jobs, and family and…"

"You're our family…" El trails off, not knowing what else to say, not knowing how to convince Neal that they know what they're doing.

And then Peter sits up, surprisingly un-selfconscious despite his nudity, his eyes fixed straight on Neal as he speaks up:

"Neal, El and I… we love you, as much as we love each other. Whatever other people might know, or think they know. There's no longer two people in this relationship, but three. It's been the three of us, since that first night we spent together. So what makes you think El and I could ever be happy without you? We might have been in New York but it wasn't home, not without you. So of course we came, because we love you and we'll go to the ends of the earth to be with you. Understood?"

Neal can find no words with which he can reply to that, but then again, he's always been one of those who believe actions speak louder than words, so he throws himself at Peter and kisses him, one of his hands reaching for Elizabeth at the same time, seeking to ensure she knows it's all about them both, about all three of them.

**xXx**

Eventually the trio manage to make their way to the house, where Elizabeth marvels at the place, while Peter stares wide eyed for several seconds before shaking his head, some things he'd rather not know, and much as Neal might claim that it isn't a big deal, it still is, a bit, at least to him. Doesn't mean he regrets choosing to leave New York, to leave everything to be there, with El and Neal. He… none of them will ever regret that.

They take a very long shower, in the extremely luxurious private bathroom connected to Neal's set of rooms. It is perhaps the very first time that Peter doesn't even think about the amount of wealth displayed. In the end, Peter's a man of creature comforts, his only interest in baths might have been in sharing them with his wife (and Neal… though the three of them would have never fit in the tub back at their place in Brooklyn), and showers with his wife could get very… intense. But he just was never able to justify to himself the expense of a bathroom like the one Neal has right there. So he finally decides to put aside his misgivings and just enjoy himself. His beloved seem to know the exact moment when he relaxes, and they take advantage of it as they take what's probably the longest shower ever.

It's in the aftermath of round three (or is it four?) as they lay on the bed (huge bed, though they still manage to end up practically on top of each other, bodies twisted together in such a way it's hard to tell where each of them ends and the others begin), that they finally get to talking. Peter explains to Neal what truly happened the day of his commutation hearing, what Kramer planned, and what he (Peter) did in return. Also tells him everything he and the team have been doing since. How they discovered that Kramer's old CI, the one he claimed had become almost a friend, who even coached his own son's little league until Kramer found out he was going back to his old ways and arrested him… except he hadn't been, not at all. The man had in fact been doing everything in his power to stay away from even the slightest temptation, to the point where he refused to keep working for the FBI after his term was over and he was free of his anklet. It was all Kramer. He made people suspicious, went as far as altering evidence to cast just enough doubt, the former CI never had a chance.

"But… why?" Neal doesn't understand.

"Who knows?" Peter shrugs.

Was it that his own son liked the man? Called him Uncle, trusted him, more than his dad? Had Kramer felt threatened? Or was it just that Kramer had gotten used to the kind of cases he could solve with someone toeing the line, someone who understood the shadows and could slip right into them without problem, and hated it when the man refused to keep doing it, to keep risking his life so Kramer could get a thrill and all the salutations for catching yet another criminal? It had never been like that for them, not at all. On the one hand because Peter was always one to put the focus on the team, never just on himself. And also… well, he wouldn't deny that he'd enjoyed some of those cases, but he'd have never put any sort of thrill over Neal's life! Over his safety, Their Safety, because Peter was always there, if one was, the other was never far behind, they have each other's backs, he and Neal… and that's just it. Because for Peter, it is He and Neal, not an FBI Agent and his CI. Kramer tried (how he tried!) to get him to change his perspective, to see Neal as a conman, as a criminal, and Peter might even admit that at times he almost could, he might have even claimed to do so and been half convincing, to anyone but himself.

In the end, Peter doesn't want to know why Kramer chose to do the things he did, it changes nothing. That's the part he hates the most, he especially hates having to explain it to Neal. How all his work, all their work (because they have -had- a good team, a wonderful team, and Diana and Jones not only had Peter's back, but Neal's as well) changed very little when it was all said and done. Justice was served regarding Kramer, and that was a good; but it changed nothing in regards to Neal. Officially he's still a convicted criminal who violated his parole.

"So I cannot go back." Neal concludes with an exhale.

"Not yet," Both men turn to look at El as she says that. "Well, there is such a thing as a Statute of Limitations, right?"

Peter's eyes widen as he realizes exactly what his wife (his brilliant, gorgeous, sexy wife!) is implying. Neal for his part just laughs in delight before kissing her exuberantly, prompting yet another round of lovemaking.

**xXx**

They don't spend the entirety of their 'honeymoon' (as Mozzie called it) in bed, or even just going around naked. While a part of each of them probably would have liked that, and as much as they love the sex, they do want to be able to focus on more than that. Because to the three of them what's going on, their being together, it's not an 'affair' it isn't temporary. It's a commitment, and very much permanent. So they sit down in the big solarium that Neal has considered turning into an art studio and begin talking about the future.

"We're not going back sweetheart," El states, when it's made clear that Neal's still having trouble with that part. "Not without you."

"But… but El…" Neal's eyes are so very wide, so many feelings that he cannot hide, he's not even trying to. "New York… your jobs… you have lives there!"

"We don't want them, not without you." She presses. "I talked to Yvonne, she was planning on leaving anyway. Her husband's been offered a better job on the West Coast. I made arrangements for all my best clients and Burke Premiere Events officially closed its doors. She didn't know that I was leaving, only that I'd other plans. We packed all the things that mattered to us, and Ronnie will drop by the house to ensure it doesn't fall into disrepair. At least until we decide what to do with it long term."

Neal says nothing, he just keeps staring at El, blinking rapidly, as if to keep the tears beginning to gather on the edges of his eyes from falling.

"Something you need to understand Neal, is that this, us being here, it's not a thoughtless action on our part." Peter states seriously. "We knew what we were doing. Sat down and talked it out before we set any of it in motion. The mortgage in the house is paid, so whether we leave it there until the day we might return; or if we decide never to return we can always call Ronnie and ask her to sell it in our name, we arranged the paperwork for that, just in case. I may have waited until after five on Friday to send in my resignation, but it was to be made effective immediately, and I left my badge, keys and firearm in a locked drawer in my office, the keys in an envelope I left for Diana that same evening, along with a letter explaining that El and I were leaving." He shrugs. "I doubt it was much of a surprise to her."

It was true, the way Diana had been looking at him, since Neal's 'disappearance' but especially in the last week; she'd known sooner or later something would have to give. They all did. And he also has no doubt that she realized he knew more about Neal's whereabouts than he revealed when interviewed by Hughes and later on Bancroft. Still, she wasn't just a good Agent, she was also a good friend, and willing to go into the gray area Neal seemed to love dragging them all into every so often. Peter would forever be thankful for her, her friendship, could only hope that his abrupt departure would not reflect negatively on her and Jones.

"Diana's always been a smart one." Neal says with a small shrug, not knowing what else to say.

"You're smart too, Neal." Peter assures him. "You don't need to doubt us, to doubt this." He makes a gesture for the three of them: "This, We, we are a permanent thing. You need to know, if there were a way we'd marry you, today! We're for good, El and I, we're not going anywhere, and neither are you. We're staying together from now on."

Neal doesn't even have to think about it, the moment Peter extends a hand towards him, he takes it, he also offers his other hand to El, who takes it without a thought, her other one already holding Peter's own. And then they're all connected, all three of them…

"Together." Neal echoes, a smile slowly beginning to appear on her face.

"Together." El agrees with a very bright smile.

**xXx**

The first part of their talk is enough to settle them all for the most part, to reassure all parties that everyone knows why they're where they are, that it's their choice, and one they made with their eyes wide open. But it's still not all they need to talk about. Their present is settled, it's their future that still needs negotiating.

When Peter and El first drew Neal in, agreed on being a triad, there was a lot they didn't really talk about. Everything was so new, so exciting (so terrifying…) and, much as they might hate to admit it, they weren't sure how long it might last. So some things they just didn't see a point in talking about. Things have changed now. And it's not just all of them being there, in that little island off the coast of Africa, together. It's the fact that Neal is convicted felon who violated his parole and thus cannot go back to the States unless he wants to end up being thrown back in jail (probably for much longer and without so much as the possibility of parole). It's that Peter and El left the country under assumed names and using fake papers, without so much as saying goodbye to anyone other than Elizabeth's sister. It's that as much of a lawman as Peter might be, and as proper as El herself might have been (for the most part), in the end some things are more important: like love, the love they have for each other, and that the both of them have for Neal… nothing will ever matter more.

So they talk about all the things they didn't before. Like how neither of them want children (El doesn't like kids much, Peter isn't comfortable around them and Neal is honestly terrified what he might do to them). Peter can accept that he's no longer an FBI Agent, that they might not be entirely living legally anymore, but he refuses to turn a blind eye to any serious criminal activities Neal may get involved in. El is also pretty insistent that whatever they might do, they all have to agree on it, no matter what. They're all together now…

Neal has a few plans already. He knows that, above everything, they'll need to find something to keep themselves busy, all of them. It's really simple, they're all very active individuals, used to being busy in something or other, while lazying about doing nothing but having fun and sex day in and day out may seem good for a few days, but eventually they'll want something else to do. And after two years Neal knows exactly what his lovers like…

It will also help when, on the last day of their 'honeymoon' he takes Peter and El into Praia, they happen to come upon the richest man of Cape Verde (if only because he and Mozzie haven't disclosed the amount of their own fortune): Henry Dobbs, and Peter recognizes him as fugitive Robert Macleash. A plan begins taking shape then…

And Neal is happy, his little island has finally, truly, become paradise…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think? 
> 
> I know in the series it's said that Neal and Mozzie own a mansion, not an actual island, but I liked the idea of their own private island more... 
> 
> I really wanted there to be a part III, but could never find the inspiration to write it. It was going to be centered on Jones and Diana. From them finding out about Peter's resignation, the letter he left, and then learning that he and Elizabeth had seemingly vanished. 
> 
> Also, I had this insane idea of the island as a sort of base of operations, Peter, El and Neal traveling around the world every so often, catching criminals, recovering stolen items, art, etc., and getting the rewards. Had even this idea of Cindy handling things in the US, claiming that she was representing her uncle: Frank Ellington and his team, or something along those lines (she'd get to keep a percentage of the rewards). 
> 
> Finally, I imagined ten years later or something, Jones, Diana or both, learning that June Ellington just died, and coming across Peter and El in the funeral. Who'd say that they've been traveling around the world, and then introduce them to their lover: Frank Ellington. And of course Diana and Jones would know exactly who he was, but neither of them would say a thing. And life goes on. 
> 
> That was the basic idea, like I said, I didn't have the inspiration to actually write it. And to be honest, much as I researched the whole 'mercenaries/bounty hunters/whatever-you-wanna-call-it' thing, I couldn't find enough to actually make something that seemed anything but unrealistic at best, ridiculous at worst. I also kept having trouble with the Statute of Limitations, because where most crimes are concerned, they should have been able to return in six years or so, but the circumstances in which they left (the violation of parole on Neal's case, Peter and El using fake identities, and the chance of the two of them being seen as 'accessories' for Neal's crimes... couldn't make up my mind what the numbers were supposed to be in the end). The two things were giving me a headache, so in the end I decided to do away with the chapter entirely. You may imagine them however you wish, or just believe that they never went back, whichever you prefer. 
> 
> Have another White Collar fic I'm currently revising, and which will be posted in a week. See ya!

**Author's Note:**

> Full sized cover/poster can be found on DA, I go by Princess-Lalaith. 
> 
> I'm currently working on another White Collar fic, this one using the season 2 finale as a pivotal moment, and the point from where everything changes, hope you'll be interested. See ya around!


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